Health Professionals’ Values Associated with Support for Food Assistance and Nutrition Education Programs

This study investigated the personal characteristics and values associated with support for food assistance and nutrition education programs in three groups of health professionals. Nearly 1500 dietitians and members of the public health and rural health associations responded to a mail survey. The membership lists were screened to eliminate duplicate mailings. Support for food assistance was positively associated with high values for food assistance, equity (support for opportunities for the poor, minorities, and women), and younger age respondents. Support for educational programs was most strongly associated with the values of equity, support for the environment and family, and being a nutritionist.     

Are Smoking and Alcohol Misuse Associated with Subsequent Hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions?

Hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) are used to assess quality of care, but studies rarely adjust for health behaviors. This study evaluated whether results of smoking or alcohol screening were associated with hospitalizations for ACSCs. Participants included 33,273 male Veterans Affairs general medicine outpatients who returned mailed surveys. The main outcome was hospitalization with a primary discharge diagnosis for an ACSC in the year following screening. Analyses were adjusted for demographics, comorbidity, and other health behaviors. Current and previous smoking and abstaining from alcohol were associated with significantly increased risk of hospitalization for ACSCs, but alcohol misuse was not. However, severe alcohol misuse was associated with increased risk of hospitalizations with a primary or secondary ACSC discharge diagnosis. When ACSCs are used to evaluate the quality of care, health systems caring for populations with higher rates of smoking or nondrinking could falsely appear to have poorer quality care if alcohol and tobacco use are not considered.     

Considerations for Incorporating “Well-Being” in Public Policy for Workers and Workplaces

Action to address workforce functioning and productivity requires a broader approach than the traditional scope of occupational safety and health. Focus on “well-being” may be one way to develop a more encompassing objective. Well-being is widely cited in public policy pronouncements, but often as “. . . and well-being” (e.g., health and well-being). It is generally not defined in policy and rarely operationalized for functional use. Many definitions of well-being exist in the occupational realm. Generally, it is a synonym for health and a summative term to describe a flourishing worker who benefits from a safe, supportive workplace, engages in satisfying work, and enjoys a fulfilling work life. We identified issues for considering well-being in public policy related to workers and the workplace.Major changes in population demographics and the world of work have significant implications for the workforce, business, and the nation.1–8 New patterns of hazards, resulting from the interaction of work and nonwork factors, are affecting the workforce.1,2,8–11 As a consequence, there is a need for an overarching or unifying concept that can be operationalized to optimize the benefits of work and simultaneously address these overlapping hazards. Traditionally, the distinct disciplines of occupational safety and health, human resources, health promotion, economics, and law have addressed work and nonwork factors from specialized perspectives, but today changes in the world of work require a holistic view.There are numerous definitions of well-being within and between disciplines, with subjective and objective orientations addressing such conceptualizations as happiness, flourishing, income, health, autonomy, and capability.12–22 Well-being is widely cited in public policy pronouncements, but often in the conjunctive form of “. . . and well-being” (as in health and well-being). It is rarely defined or operationalized in policy.In this article, we consider if the concept of “well-being” is useful in addressing contemporary issues related to work and the workforce and, if so, whether it can be operationalized for public policy and what the implications are of doing so. We discuss the need to evaluate a broad range of work and nonwork variables related to worker health and safety and to develop a unified approach to this evaluation. We discuss the potential of well-being to serve as a unifying concept, with focus on the definitions and determinants of well-being. Within this part of the discussion, we touch on topics of responsibility for well-being. We also explore issues of importance when one is incorporating well-being into public policy. We present examples of the incorporation of the principles of well-being into public policy, and the results thus far of the implementation of such guidance. We describe research needs for assessing well-being, particularly the need to operationalize this construct for empirical analysis. We aim to contribute to the ongoing efforts of occupational safety and health and public health researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to protect working populations.     

The Training and Support Programme for parents of children with ataxia: parents’ perspectives

The aim of the study was to assess the Training and Support Programme (TSP) among parents of children with ataxia. Twenty‐seven parents and their children completed the TSP. Data were collected by home record sheets and observation sheets completed by parents and therapists, respectively, and telephone interviews with 10 parents. Benefits reported included improvements in children’s stiffness, ‘jumping legs’, agitation, energy and activity levels, circulation, balance, eating, non‐verbal communication, relaxation and happiness. One parent had become ‘more accepting’ of their child’s ataxia. Several families attended the TSP in one location. This facilitated the development of a ‘social network’ of similar families caring for children with ataxia. A randomised controlled trial would be necessary to determine whether the changes reported here are in fact due to attending the TSP. Such a study would benefit from the inclusion of children as active participants in the research process.     

Response to “An Overlooked and more Complicated Association of Social Support with Infant Birth Size”

Maternal and Child Health Journal - In this letter to the editor, we respond to our colleagues comments regarding the nature of our findings. We present a response that incorporates theory and data...     

Do Maternal Caregiver Perceptions of Childhood Obesity Risk Factors and Obesity Complications Predict Support for Prevention Initiatives Among African Americans?

Objectives African American maternal caregiver support for prevention of childhood obesity may be a factor in implementing, monitoring, and sustaining children’s positive health behaviors. However, little is known about how perceptions of childhood obesity risk factors and health complications influence caregivers’ support of childhood obesity prevention strategies. The objective of this study was to determine if childhood obesity risk factors and health complications were associated with maternal caregivers’ support for prevention initiatives. Methods A convenience sample of maternal caregivers (N?=?129, ages 22–65 years) completed the childhood obesity perceptions (COP) survey. A linear regression was conducted to determine whether perceptions about childhood obesity risk factors and subsequent health complications influenced caregivers’ support for prevention strategies. Results Caregivers’ perceptions of childhood obesity risk factors were moderate (M?=?3.4; SD?=?0.64), as were their perceptions of obesity-related health complications (M?=?3.3; SD?=?0.75); however, they perceived a high level of support for prevention strategies (M?=?4.2; SD?=?0.74). In the regression model, only health complications were significantly associated with caregiver support (β?=?0.348; p?<?0.004). Conclusions Childhood obesity prevention efforts should emphasize health complications by providing education and strategies that promote self-efficacy and outcome expectations among maternal caregivers.     

Who Pays for Sex and Why? An Analysis of Social and Motivational Factors Associated with Male Clients of Sex Workers

A total of 1,225 men and women attending a commercial event in the state of Victoria, Australia were surveyed as to whether they had ever paid for sex. Of 612 men surveyed, 143 (23.4%) had paid for sex at least once. Men who had ever paid for sex were compared with male nonclients on 13 demographic and sexual history measures; only four significantly differentiated clients from nonclients. Clients were significantly older, less likely to have been educated beyond high school, less likely to report having a regular partner in the past 6 months, and more likely to report that their most recent sexual encounter was with a casual partner. Clients of sex workers reported the major reason for paying for sex was to satisfy their sexual needs (43.8%), followed by the belief that paying for sex was less trouble (36.4%), and that it would be entertaining (35.5%). A factor analysis of reasons for visiting sex workers identified three factors labelled Ease, Engagement, and Arousal. Together, these factors accounted for 55% of the variance associated with the factor solution of motivations for paying for sex. In a setting where commercial sex is legally available from brothels, it would appear that clients are unremarkable in their social characteristics and are motivated mainly by the ease of the commercial sex encounter, the need for engagement with another, and because they feel in need of sexual "relief."     

Does a Decade of School Administrator Support for Educator Training on Students’ Sexual and Gender Identity Make a Difference for Students’ Victimization and Perceptions of School Climate?

Prevention Science - Professional development training for school personnel on issues related to sexual and gender identity (i.e., SOGI training) is a school strategy designed to prevent health and...     

Are Social Status and Migration Background Associated with Utilization of Non-medical Antenatal Care? Analyses from Two German Studies

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Non-medical antenatal care (ANC) refers to a range of non-medical services available to women during pregnancy aiming at supporting women and prepare them for...     

The Effects of News Coverage of Epidemics on Public Support for and Compliance with the CDC– An Experimental Study

Content analysis identified three dominant themes used by the news media to cover epidemics: the scientific, the pandemic, and the social. This study uses a randomized experimental design to test the effects of common news coverage patterns of epidemics on perceptions of efficacy, certainty, and trust in the CDC, and subsequently on intentions to comply with and support for the CDC during public health crises. The experiment also compares the effects of real-world coverage to that of hypothetical coverage that more closely follows the CDC’s recommendations for crisis communication. The results of the experiment (n = 321) demonstrate that exposure to articles from different themes affects perceptions of certainty and self-efficacy, that in turn affect intentions to comply with the CDC. Although organizational-efficacy and trust in the CDC are both correlated with intentions to support, and trust is also correlated with intentions to comply, exposure to different conditions did not affect these perceptions and there was no indirect effect from exposure to intentions. The results reveal the potential effects of real-world coverage on perceptions and intentions, and demonstrate the advantage of the hypothetical coverage that follows the CDC’s crisis communication guidelines. Implications for public health organizations and communicators are discussed.     

Helping Birmingham Families Early: The “Signs of Safety and Well-being” Practice Framework

Rising demand for early help services is currently taking place against a backdrop of closing or reduced services and shrinking public authority budgets across England. Complicating matters is the wide variety of service orientations and differences in assessments offered to vulnerable families. This can be confusing for them. Moreover, this is an inefficient approach to providing help. This article presents a methodology of early help practice with families, designed to ease any service orientation problems, while promoting a more uniformed approach to early help practice in Birmingham, England. This article is concerned with the wide variety of tools and approaches in early help practice and is critical to how risk and need exploration operates because practitioner anxiety about working with risk potentially fuels an escalation of referrals through to statutory services. To help build practitioner confidence about working with need and risk, a practice framework based on signs of safety has been developed for Birmingham’s early help services, replacing over 80 pre-existing assessment tools. Strengths-based practice debates provide the theoretical backdrop for this discussion.     

Effectiveness of a Sexual Education Program for Mothers of Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities on Mothers’ Attitudes Toward Sexual Education and the Perception of Social Support

Healthy sexual development is possible only through effective sexual education, which could be provided by families. Lack of sexuality training could lead to inappropriate behavior in children and they could face problems such as exclusion from the society and sexual abuse. The purpose of the present study was to scrutinize the effect of a Sexuality Education Program for Mothers of Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities (SEPID) on the attitudes of mothers toward the sexuality education of their children and their perceptions of social support. The present research employed an empirical pretest–posttest model with control group. Study participants included 44 mothers who were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 22) and control (n = 22) groups. The SEPID program was conducted at the seminar hall located in the second floor of a café where individuals with intellectual disabilities work and it was conducted in four 1-h sessions. Study data were tested with ANOVA and ANCOVA methods. Findings demonstrated that SEPID changed the attitudes of mothers toward the sexuality education of their children in a positive direction and improved their perceptions of social support. Social validity findings showed that the mothers were satisfied with the program.